Save Money on Holiday Gifts with Groupon

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine and are not influenced in any way.

Countdown check: We only got 38 days until Christmas!

It is holiday shopping time! Malls, stores, restaurants, bazaars all over the metro (and the world) are getting busy for the Holiday season.

Who couldn't be more excited shopping for gifts! Yes it is enjoyable, but it often stressed out the best in us. Just thinking about the traffic and crowded stores make it more stressful, right?

Checking off your gift list? This is where online shopping at Groupon comes in.

Say hello to Groupon Goods!

Groupon Goods

I enjoy checking out Groupon. There are amazing deals from different stores, restaurants and retailers. What I love most about it are the variety of goods that lets me save money at the same time. They makes shopping better! There are always something that I can get for myself and with the people I love.

When we shop, we all want to get the best from our bucks, right?

No matter who you are shopping for, Groupon Goods has it all - from toys, watches, jewelries, electronics, clothing, gadgets and a lot more!

Ready to kick-start your holiday shopping? Check your best bets here and feast on the amazing deals and huge savings you can get from Groupon.

Also keep updated on the best deals. Follow Groupon on Facebook and Twitter.

It's worth it!

So, what do you plan to give as gifts?

Enjoying HSBC credit card rewards

I've been using my HSBC Red credit card for several years. Okay, I'm not debt free - but still a responsible credit card owner.

Most credit cards have rewards programs and promos. With my HSBC Red MasterCard, I usually enjoy their Instant Rewards promo.

#HSBCelebration

Their ongoing Instant Rewards can be availed at KFC, Pancake House and Teriyaki Boy. I've already claimed KFC meals: Junior Sandwich, 1-pc Chicken Meal with soup and regular drink, and a 1-piece Classic Fully Loaded Meal.

This promo is only until June 30, hopefully, the next Instant Rewards will be better as well.

KFC meal 

And, aside from annual fee waiver and 0% installment plans, I also get to accumulate points for redemption. This time, I got about 50,000 points and choose to redeem two (2) Php 500 SM Gift Certificate from the Rewards Catalogue.

HSBC Rewards

Good enough.

HSBC also has several ongoing promos such as the "Win back your tuition with HSBC MasterCard" and "Caltex Rebate Offers."

Well, if you're a credit card holder, it pays to manage your debt responsibly and use it the right way. And enjoy the perks, treats and privileges that come with it!

Free Admission: Sun Life Wealth and Health Expo

Do you want to enjoy a life that’s free from financial worries? Well, isn't that what we all want.

I'm inviting you to join Sun Life Philippines' Wealth and Health Expo on June 20 at the SMX Convention Center in the Mall of Asia Complex. This event is in partnership with Manila Workshops and is FREE for everyone!

Known personalities such actor-triathlete Matteo Guidicelli, lifestyle blogger Anton Diaz, runner Jaymie Pizzaro, TV anchor Edric Mendoza, and financial experts Randell Tiongson and Rose Fausto, will be sharing their tips and guiding attendees on achieving health and wealth balance. The event will be hosted by RJ Ledesma.

#FIT2LiveFree Expo

Since June is Financial Independence month, Sun Life Philippines focuses on nurturing health and growing wealth.

Here's what you can expect from the event:

+ For Millennials (1 pm)

• Learn how to find your purpose while balancing your many passion pursuits
• Get tips on how to start on an active and healthy lifestyle while young
• Learn the benefits of starting young on a financial roadmap to the future by putting a price tag and deadline to your dreams

+ For Young Couples (9 am)

• Learn how to balance your roles and goals for the family while pursuing your own individuality
• Learn how you and your family can keep healthy and stay healthy amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life
• Create a shared vision and get the entire family on-board to commit to those goals

Also, Ms. Rikka Redrico from Mommy Bloggers Philippines will be there to guide participants on how to create a Vision Board. When you create and share your vision board, you'll even get a chance to win a special prize from Sun Life! Isn't that exciting?

Admission is FREE. Register now at brighterlife.com.ph

Sun Life Wealth & Health Expo
June 20 SMX MOA

Be a Kid Entrepreneur

My daughter made this For Sale sign for their school event.

school food sale

As part of their Math and Science week, students from Grades 1 to 3 participated in the school food sale.

She told me that students bought candies, chocolates, cookies, foods (shanghai, cheese sticks, spaghetti, carbonara, sandwiches) and drinks for the activity. Though, they could not sell food as high as 20 pesos. This event teaches them about Philippine bills and coins, how to count and make changes. 

She enjoyed selling her chocolates and marshmallows. We only bought few pieces and her food container was nearly empty when she arrived home (though they ate leftovers in the school service). She excitedly announced, "Ang dami kong nabenta!" She sold around Php 140... and for her, that's a lot already. That's her first earnings and we're proud of her! But she also realized how hard selling can be! Learnings.

She shared funny and inspiring stories based on other students' food sale experiences as well - as to what items are the best sellers, who made lots of money and foods that she bought. Now, she's looking forward to the next school food sale event! :)

This food sale also allows kids to experience setting up their little businesses, and buy items from their fellow students.

Who knows, maybe some of these students would grow up to be future entrepreneurs!

Kids can be entrepreneurs while they're still young. Parents can give them encouragement and support that they need. Since school summer vacation is almost near, you can allow your kids to enjoy and experience running their own little businesses too! 

Gold Investment

A good investment portfolio can help secure your retirement life, but it is important to consider investments that are safe and risk-free.

Nowadays, there is an increasing demand for gold. It is becoming one of the most popular investments. Gold is a stable, liquid investment during certain economic times and global stock market volatility.

It is also an advantage to consider to turn it into gold Individual Retirement Account (IRA). People opt to arrange for IRA gold to be assured of their investment. IRA is an investing tool used by individuals to earn and earmark funds for retirement savings, which can be funded with precious metals - like gold and silver.

Some investors are already placing their investments in gold IRA due to economic turbulence and global uncertainty.

Nothing looks more promising than buying gold 401k as the price of gold has a tendency to always increase. The quantity of gold remains the same, but your 401k gold value increases. Anyone whose considering to strengthen their investment portfolio should really take buying gold coins or gold bullions seriously. It is better to IRA gold system first and consult a financial consultant if you need to make a gold IRA transfer.

Exciting Online Shopping-Bidding in the Philippines

I've heard about Winila months ago, but it is only after receiving an email that I've decided to check what this online shopping site is all about.

Winila is an online shopping site where you can bid for items, buy products and save up to 95%. It's an amazing breakthrough for everyone's shopping experience. Winila makes online shopping-bidding exciting and hassle-free!

How Does Winila work?

1. It makes use of an online bidding where you will be going against other bidders. Each 'bid' that a buyer places increases the price of an item and add time to the clock. The final bidder when the timer hits zero is declared the winner.

2. Like other online shopping site, buy the product directly and pay the standard retail price.

How to Win an Auction?

You must be the last bidder of the item when the auction timer hits zero. But if you lose, you can still buy the product through the "Buy It Now" functionality, with a discount equal to the value of the bids you placed.

I've checked out some past winning auctions -
iPod Shuffle 2GB for bought for $2.78 (savings 94.98%)
Nokia X3 for $1.19 (savings 99.18%)
Victoria's Secret:Vanilla for $0.71 (savings 96.26%)
P500 Pancake House GC for $0.09 (99.25%)
Playstation 3 320 GB for $22.2

See, that's really huge savings!

How To Join:

1. Register at Winila Homepage.

2. Select a bid package to participate in the auction. Choose bid packages in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 bids. Each product bid cost costs Php 10, $0.50, or €0.50.

3. Shop around for open auctions and start bidding for the item you want.

You can also check out these interesting and useful videos to know more about Winila -

Winila VIP interview with Papa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5szISJRL9o

Trailer Mike Ferrer Winila interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiKUDVd9_oY

Winila VIP interview with Mike Ferrer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jekmgYDwJlo

Experience the fun of bidding and getting the item you want... Spend small, win big!

I Wanna Be A Billionare

The Philippine 6/55 Grand Lotto winning combination yesterday, November 17 reaches Php 495,597,376.80. It's the the biggest prize in Philippines’ lotto history. But still, no one got the winning combination 53-9-45-24-50-29.

This 6/55 Grand Lotto draws are held every Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. In the past weeks, Filipinos lined up at betting stations, hoping to win the jackpot prize. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) reports that for the next draw scheduled on Saturday, November 20, the jackpot prize is estimated to reach Php 545 million.

I wanna be a billionaire, so freaking bad
Buy all of the things I never had
I wanna be on the cover of Forbes Magazine
Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen
- Billionaire song, Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars

Who doesn't want to get rich and be a billionaire?

It's time to take a look at and consider gold investment.

Buying gold coins can help protect you from dollar devaluation and owning gold bullion or bars is really a glorious investment. Gold is a considered as a "crisis commodity." When an economic or monetary crisis happens, the value of IRA gold rises.

Most investors are taking advantage of gold IRA since its is one of the safest investment option. This is the reason why investing in Gold IRA is a great idea as it protects your retirement from inflation.

Look for a website like Gold Coins Gain that buy or sell gold and a financial advisor that can guide you in your gold investment. You need to know how to transfer your gold 401k to traditional gold IRA. Many people are considering gold IRA transfer because IRA gold gives more money than 401k gold.

Avoid Reward Cards

Everyone is looking for a way to make a couple extra dollars. Your credit card companies know that and they are willing to help if you are willing to pay the price. How many times a day do you get offers from credit cards and debit cards offering you cards that get you rewards points? How many times a day do you see an offer where if you purchase pool supplies once you will get rewarded with 100 extra points or more? You see these a lot because credit card companies are smart and it’s time you got smart too.

First off, these points don’t benefit you nearly as much as the credit card companies. There hope is that you purchase thousands a month and only pay off hundreds, keep paying the minimum and they can keep racking up interest. They figure in the end to offer you a point per dollar spent is nothing when they are getting thousands off of you in the course of your time with the card. If they didn’t make interest off the card or if everyone was paying on time, they wouldn’t offer these promotions.

The only way to successfully navigate these offers is to do it with a debit card. There you know every dollar you spend is a dollar you can afford to spend. It comes right out of your bank account. Don’t worry about the miles, the travel points or the free gift cards. Take the time not to be caught up in your credit card hassles and use the interest you are saving and put that into a bank account and let it grow. Those credit card companies are giving you 1% back on all purchases and charging you at least 9%. Save 9% of your money and see how much you have in a year. It will buy you a better vacation.

Save Money: Be a Savvy Shopper

Prices keep on increasing and it is really important to make smart choices, save and shop effectively.

Shopping and dining are two activities I enjoy doing. I'm a smart savvy shopper as I often create a budget plan and stick it. I also take advantage and look for the best possible deals and promos. When shopping, I don't just look at the price of the product, but also its quality. Aside from reward cards, I also make use of coupons in fastfood joints, restaurants, mall boutiques, and drugstores from time to time.

It is always good to take advantage of deals, promos and discounts to get substantial savings on all your purchases. Coupon clipping can be an amazing money saving technique if used effectively. You can start with the list of things that you really need. Don't just buy things just because you have a coupon. Also, don't let all those coupons prompt you to buy things you wouldn't otherwise purchase. Remember to purchase only the necessities.

For the frugal and budget-conscious shopper, there are a lot of great coupon sites on the Internet. You can take a look at Home Depot coupons and see how much you can save on home improvement supplies.

Frequent travelers can also save by taking advantage of cheap airfares, vacation packages, discounted hotel rates, and rental car deals. You consider those promos and can make use of Orbitz coupons.

There are also online budgeting software that you can use to make saving money easy, like Mint software. It's a personal finance tool that helps in managing financial accounts. The best things about this is, it's Free! Might as well check it out!

Payday Loan: Reliable Cash Advance Option

It is always best to handle your finances well. No one wishes to be in a situation where he or she is faced with cash shortage or needs to access cash immediately. But this is a reality which can come up anytime.

Situations like payment for emergency medical bills, physician treatment, critical home repairs or sudden car breakdown, often calls for immediate funding help. Even if you have a regular source of income, it doesn't always guarantee financial stability.

People are looking for safe and convenient ways to help them out of their financial holes until payday. They rely upon other financial assistance. Some ask friends or family members to lend them money, take cash advance of their credit cards, sell things they need for extra cash, dip into their emergency fund, or do more extra work. This is also the reason why payday loans makes it as one of the best resource and fastest way to get cash advance.

Payday loans are quick, easily available financing system, designed for emergencies and other contingencies, which allows the borrower to take a short-term loan of small amounts. Your collateral is your job and your next paycheck. You'll get approved instantly and you'll can get cash in a short span of time. There are no credit checks, bank account verification or complying with needed documents.

There are many online payday lenders, but you must consider the reputation of the company carefully. You can opt for a safe and convenient loan from ACE Cash Express! You can apply online or in person at their cash express location.

Keep in mind that payday loans offers both pros and cons. It is a cost-effective financial emergency cash option, just make sure that you are disciplined, and you understand what you're getting into before you apply for one. Remember that "it's not free money" and you have to pay it back.

Track Municipal Bonds Online

Municipal bonds are a good option for investors who want to make money with low risk. After the economic downturn of 2008, more investors began increasing the amount of muni bonds in their portfolios as a way to balance higher-risk options. You may have made a similar move with your investment portfolio, or you may be considering munis as a way to begin investing. Either way, the creditworthiness of the issuing organizations like states, towns, school districts, or counties, and payments at set intervals can be a comfort when you put your money in someone else's hands.

While the risk is low for muni investing, you may need to find additional tools to help you keep track of your bonds, especially with the need to calculate bond pricing on an ongoing basis. Financial advisors offer this service, but you may want to consider tracking your investments with an online portfolio. Websites offering this service provide a variety of resources designed to make your investing a one-stop shop. Your account with one of these investment companies allows you to create, monitor and evaluate your investments, including your muni bonds.

Other tools you can find to help you track your online muni bonds include bond pricing options, ratings information, systems to monitor your gains and losses, and histories. Some websites provide you with real time trading data and wholesale dealer pricing. Through an online tracking company, you can get information on pricing transparency and liquidity. With these tools, you can determine when to buy and sell muni bonds to get the best yield. Companies like BondView offer free tracking services and quantitative analysis for your entire portfolio, and they offer the services regardless of where you house your investments. While many services are free, some tools may require a small fee.

Estimate Payments With an Interest-Only

If you are considering an interest-only home loan, an interest only mortgage calculator can provide you with valuable information about the loan. An interest-only mortgage is a type of loan in which a person's monthly payment covers only the interest portion of the loan and does not reduce the outstanding principal. Many people use this option as a way to get into a house because the interest-only payment allows them to have a lower monthly payment. With this type of loan, you eventually have to begin paying toward the principal, or you will never pay off the loan. For example, if you purchase a house for $100,000 and you only pay the interest, you'll still owe the $100,000.

With an interest-only calculator, you can compare a standard loan to one that collects interest only. You can also find out how soon you can pay off the interest-only loan if you add in extra money to the payment each month. To calculate the payments, you'll need to enter the total amount of the principal for the loan, the interest rate and the term. Once you enter this information, the mortgage calculator provides the monthly payment amount. Some online calculators for interest-only loans let you print a PDF file with the information or offer a tool allowing you to email the information.

By using an interest-only mortgage calculator, you can find out if the lower monthly payments will save you money in the long run or if you should try another type of loan. Take advantage of free calculators to figure out as many possibilities as you need in order to compare all your mortgage options. If you need more assistance, use the information as a basis for discussing an interest-only home mortgage with a financial advisor.

Buy Gold and Invest

The glitter of gold has caught the people's eyes.

People from every class wear gold jewelry in different forms. Wearing elegant pieces of gold earrings, gold necklaces or bracelets creates a marvelous impact that is truly inviting.

Women are passionate for buying gold jewelries. These pure gold jewelries are usually kept and worn during special occasions, and are passed on as heirlooms. Men, on the other hand, buy gold pieces for the woman in their lives, yet most of the time for investment purposes.

With the brewing financial crisis and weakening currencies, gold makes a perfect protection. Some are now buying gold as an investment. Anyone whose considering to strengthen their investment portfolio should take buying gold coins or gold bullions seriously.

At Goldline International, you can buy gold coins online, get gold investment information, and add gold in your Individual Retirement Account. The company is one of the most trusted gold dealers in the United States. But, before venturing into any investment, research is a must. The Free Investor Kit from Goldline can be helpful too.

Gold prices continues to be on the rise. It never loses its value.